Integrated care in England: Yorkshire and The Humber

Integrated care

Integrated care has become a key focus of reform in England as a response to a need to deliver further efficiency savings. Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) and devolution are part of a number of wide range of new initiatives to develop and deliver integrated care.

Sustainability and Transformation Plans

STPs set out how each area is intending to reform health and social care services to meet future demands and financial pressures. In effect, STPs are local responses to the NHS £30bn funding gap. This is the difference between funds needed to maintain current NHS services, and what the Government is proposing to spend by 2020/21.

STPs outline how local savings will be achieved. On average, each STP area must make provision for saving around £450m by 2020/21.

There are three STPs across the Yorkshire and the Humber region and they need to make savings of some £2bn.

In order to make these savings, STPs aim to change the way care is delivered across the country.

We're concerned that without extra funding to ensure there is sufficient provision to realise 'the right care in the right place at the right time' aspiration of the plans, there is a risk they will not deliver their intended outcomes for patients and service users.

The implementation timescale for STPs, which will see plans agreed and up and running by April 2017, have meant that plans have been developed in isolation and secrecy. The RCN believes that there must be meaningful engagement and proper consultation with staff, patients and the local communities that use services. Read more.